Blind Bag Paint Quality & coating for protection?

[Cadence]

Hey there BB pony collectors! I got my first metallic BB pony this week and noticed that the paint is really easy to chip & scratched. I might use mine as a keychain, but I don't want my pony's body (especially her eyes/cutie mark) to get scratched etc.

How is the quality of the blindbag ponies?
Do you seal your ponies with a coating of mod podge, acrylic polymer medium gloss, glaze, etc? If so, what do you use?

[Loona]

I am stalking this thread. I also want to get some metallic and/or glittery blind bags to use as keychains and to be hung on bags, but hearing their paint is quite sensitive made me want to seal them somehow too before using them. thanks for asking this question! I hope someone will have the answer ^^

[Oak23]

I just spray coated one of the Wave 4 ponies cuz their glitter kept rubbing off on my hands (which didn't seem to be a problem with my Wave 1 glitters). Anyways, I only display my blind bags so I don't usually seal them.

[Cadence]

I am stalking this thread. I also want to get some metallic and/or glittery blind bags to use as keychains and to be hung on bags, but hearing their paint is quite sensitive made me want to seal them somehow too before using them. thanks for asking this question! I hope someone will have the answer ^^

Glad to know I'm not the only one worried about scratching paint ^^!

I just spray coated one of the Wave 4 ponies cuz their glitter kept rubbing off on my hands (which didn't seem to be a problem with my Wave 1 glitters). Anyways, I only display my blind bags so I don't usually seal them.

Ah, inconsistent glittery quality I see. What kind of spray did you use?

[Wilford B Wolf]

it depends on what the plan is..ive seen ppl actualy hand paint them with clear nail polish..which..imo is a great idea but the brush strokes would annoy me...the trick is finding a DURRABLE clear coat and if you want a satin or gloss ....me i prefer a gloss something ive been meaning to try for more than a decade with my model work is thining nail polish for use in my airbrush...

for now i just coat them with ENGINE clear coat if they will be keychains or the handled often as its the toughest paint i know of,,it wont chip etc and can take some flexing...i know its overkill....

really tho any blind bag thats going to get "handled" should get clear coated with something regardless..cause its not just the paint you need to worry about as the plastic itself likes to wick in dirt/dust and hand oils

[hathorcat]

Gosh! I didnt realise this was a popular concept of sealing them.

My blind bags are for display and I always do as little non factory "additions" to a pony as possible so no I dont use anything - hair spray or nail polish or similar. Very interesting ideas here

However, if they are going to be regularly "bashed" against thing protecting the paint makes sense. I would imagine the best information on sealing will be over in Customs.

[NoPonySpecial]

I picked "No, I buy them for display purposes only" even though I really buy them to play with them... Maybe there should be an option for "No, I don't have a desire to," or "No, I'm too lazy to coat them."  Of course, I don't use them for crafts, and I don't collect the glittery/metallic/special ones, so maybe I shouldn't have filled it out anyway!

I don't see a need to protect the blind bags too much, because their paint jobs are not that great anyway. (Fair for such a small toy, but still.)

For the customs I painted, I sprayed them all over with Krylon Clear sealant. That probably wouldn't work on things you want too keep looking factory fresh, since it leaves a finish behind, like Flat, Crystal, etc.

[MikaylaIsSoCoolLike]

I buy mine for display only, but I did seal my wave 1 Pinkie with modpodge for a necklace. So far she's been okay.

[Oak23]

I just spray coated one of the Wave 4 ponies cuz their glitter kept rubbing off on my hands (which didn't seem to be a problem with my Wave 1 glitters). Anyways, I only display my blind bags so I don't usually seal them.

Ah, inconsistent glittery quality I see. What kind of spray did you use?

I used Tamiya Pearl Clear for plastics because one of my friends is into model making like warhammer and such. I was really surprised by Chance A Lot's glitter because the Wave 1 Glitters were pretty decent. I don't really mess with my blind bags but if they shed with simple handling I rather just protect them rather than dealing with issues later on.

[Ivy]

it depends on what the plan is..ive seen ppl actualy hand paint them with clear nail polish..which..imo is a great idea but the brush strokes would annoy me...the trick is finding a DURRABLE clear coat and if you want a satin or gloss ....me i prefer a gloss something ive been meaning to try for more than a decade with my model work is thining nail polish for use in my airbrush...

for now i just coat them with ENGINE clear coat if they will be keychains or the handled often as its the toughest paint i know of,,it wont chip etc and can take some flexing...i know its overkill....

really tho any blind bag thats going to get "handled" should get clear coated with something regardless..cause its not just the paint you need to worry about as the plastic itself likes to wick in dirt/dust and hand oils

Nailpolish is a horrible idea! Nailpolish yellows as it gets older. If you need to clear-coat it with something - modge podge or a clear paint sealer.

[Wilford B Wolf]

i agree that "some" clear nail polish yellows but not ALL of it..just the cheep stuff...

my poor first dashie has 4000 miles of wear on her..she rides my handlebars on my bike..and im wishing id clear coated her...her replacement is cleared and ready to roll

[Cadence]

Thanks for the recommendations guys!
I'm thinking I'll just glaze the eyes/cutie mark for now and see how it lasts/if it leads to future discolouration before I consider coating the entire pony. 

[Loona]

in the past I have tried to use nail polish for keychains (not only transparent, but coloured too. the latter for marking similar-shaped keys to be able to differenciate), but it didn't work out for me. it didn't yellow, but it came off rather easily (in weeks, but sometimes also in days) at places where the figure was hit/got in touch with the keys frequently, and every time these parts got re-painted, the overall look got worse :/ so I don't think it's durable enough for a keychain.

but thanks for the other ideas and brands, I will look them up!

[hathorcat]

I think what Ivy means is that nail polish [much like glue and other similar substances] will age with "time" not with "wear"...so Dash may have travelled 4000 miles [impressive! ] but perhaps once the nail polish has time to "break down" whether she has travelled 4 or 4000 will make no difference to the chemical break down and discolour.